Rotary-key coupling



F. JOHN.

ROTARY KEY COUPLING.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 8. 1920.

1,371,787., n Patented Mar. 15, 1921.

3 SHEETS-SHEET F. JOHN.

ROTARY KEYiCOUPLING.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 18. 1920.

Patented, Mar. 15, 1921.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

iw'ilzwaas': M

F. JOHN.

ROTARY KEY COUPLING.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 18, 1920.

m 2m 7 MW hm mm a d3 6 m f m .cessible without dismantling the coiipling OFFICE.

FERDINAND JOHN, 0F ERKELENZ, RHINELAND, GERMANY,

ROTARY-KEY COUPLING.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Mar. 15, 1921.

Application filed September 18, 1920. Serial No. 411,273.

T 0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FERDINAND JOHN, citizen of the German Republic, and resident of Hindenburgstrasse, Erkelenz, Rhineland, in the German Republic, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Rotary-Key Couplings, of which the following is a specification.

In the usual rotary key couplings the rotary segmental key rests in inoperative position in a more or less half round groove or keyway in the shaft ,which is driven by a surrounding bush or the boss of a flywheel or gear wheel or the like. A stop carried by the key abuts against a stop lever, which may be actuated by a pedal or the like. lVhen so actuated, the key rotates under the action of a spring until it engages the complementary groove or keyway in the driving bush. In order to obviate advance of the driven shaft in relation to the driving element when the coupling is thrown into gear, the bush carries a sprin -controlled detent which snaps into a recess in the shaft or in a cap or bush on the end of the shaft as soon as the coupling is efiected. To effect this action, the key and detent are arranged in the required relative position.

The key and detent are, however, inacwhich is both diiiiciilt and tedious an quently very inconvenient.

According to the present invention, the key and detent are readily accessible and can also be actuated from the exterior in such a manner that the coupling may be adapted to new purposes, more particularly to machines which may become jammed or interlocked owing to obstructions. The proved coupling enables the interlocked parts in such case to be gradually loosened by impact. lllioreover, the machine be driven forwardly or reversed, which is or? great utility for adjusting certain tools.

The invention comprises the. interconnection of the key and detentby a detent eleznent which may consist of a spring-corn trolled pawl adapted to lock the main detent in uncoupled position. '-.-Vhen the key is moved into coupling position. key operates the pawl so that the main detent is released. The key, pawl and main detent may be secured in various positions by locktreing pins in order to enable the parts of the couphng to be set according to different requirements.

The improved coupling is illustrated in one example on the drawings, whereon,

Figure 1 is a transverse sectional View and Fig. 2 a longitudinal sectional View. Figs 3, 4, 5 and 6 are views corresponding to 1 but showing the parts in different positions.

The driven shaft a which may be the driving shaft of a press, is driven' by a bush 7) which is shown fitted in the boss 5 of a belt-driven fly wheel and keyed thereto by the studs 6 (Fig. 2). The key 0 is fitted in the usual manner in a groove in the shaft a so that by the rotation of its arm 0 it may engage in one of the keyways c of the bush 6. When the lever (Z is rocked about its pivot 03 by downward movement of the rod Z by pedal mechanism or the like, the arm 0 is free to rotate and the key'o then engages the keyways under the action of the spring 0 which is located in annular groove 0 and has its end secured to pin disposed transversely. in this groove.

The detent e is mounted in a cap f fitted on the end of the shaft (1, and connected with it by keys f. The detent'is adapted to engage one of the recesses e in the boss I) or in a ratchet ring secured thereto, under the action of aspringe The detent e projects through a cover 9 (Fig. 2) and is squared at e to receive a. crank. The key 0 also projects through the cover 9 and is squared at c" to receive a cranking tool.

7 A pawl h is mounted in a space between the cap 7 and cover 9 and constitutes the interconnection between the key and detent. It is in the form of a double-armed lever pivoted at hand pressed against a. flat it on the key 0 by a spring 2a. In the coupled position shown in Fig. l, the pawl h locks with a nose (2 on the detent a so that the lat ter is held in uncoupled position.

The pintle if of the pawl it is also squared at in outside the cover 9.

When the coupling is thrown into gear by depressing the lever (Z the rotation of the key 0 causes the flat 72. to rock the pawl h and thus free the detent e which in turn immediately engages one of the recesses e of the boss 6 under the action of the spring 6 The shaft and driving element are thus simultaneously coupled and locked in either direction as illustrated in Fig. 3.

The uncoupling is effected in the usual manner on the upward movement of the lever 03- by the contact of the arm 0 therewith rotating the key 0 and withdrawing it from the key'way in the bush into the position shown in Fig. l. the pawl it returning from the position shown in Fig. 3 to that shown in Fig. 1 under the action of its spring If. The continued rotation of the bush 7) then presses the detent 0 into the uncoupled position, where it is held by the pawl h.

lt is of advantage to be able to hold the detent e in its uncoupled position. lln the usual couplings in which. the detent is not so held, tl detent snaps into all the recesses oi' the rotating hush, causing noisy running and considerable wear.

linsuch cannot he thrown into gear by accidentally depressing the rod d or o .llElTWlSE and work can thus he carried out on the machine withou danger.

The possihle position ot the parts shown in Fig. t is the principal advantage of the arrangement machines which may. for erainple, heconie locked or anamed hy excesive stresses, enahling them, to he readily re-set. ln such cases it is trequently not possihle to simply reverse drive, while torcilole forward drive would damage the machine.

l helt may however he readily reversed he or the electric motor pews. reversed so that the gearing he machine runs counter the detent e and as soon as a moderate speed has heen attained the helt may he shifted on to the idle pulley shifted oil the flywheel o the motor stopped. ill "eaten the pawl it may he turned h t to release the detent e, causing i e wherehv the stored h the ily" rotates the s c haolrwa'" oration is no suiilcient to complet inachine it may he repeated ant i essary the mechanism ni allowed t in greater speed h-eior-e the e released.

l 5 and h show the coupling in host tions re ired to the purpose of the the machine solo. in 5i c and pawl it are locked by means of pins 2' and is so that they are inoperative. Consequently the detent e is alone capable of movement so that on reverse movemenhit must engage one otthe recesses e as shown on the drawing. The reverse movement can then be effected either by hand or by motor drive according to the size of the machine. In any case it is possible to transmit a certain impact through the detent e by adjusting the parts previous to reverse movement so that a more or less partial rotation of the driving hush I; must take place before the detent e snaps into place.

in the position shown in Fig. 6 both the pawl h and detent are locked by means of the pin is while the key 0 is free to rotate. This position of the parts may be employed when the setting of the tools requires a slow forward drive of the machine. ln this position oi? the parts also a gradual step-by-step forward drive of the machine may he ohtuined similar to the reverse drive above descriloedhy means of the detent 8.

it is of course understood that the operative parts may vary from the construction shown on the d swing and that the detent .may also he constructed in the form or a rotary key in which case it would. operate in the manner described it suitably connected with the key 0 hy detent mechanism and icy other locking" mechanism such as pins so that it may he locked in the various positions.

The eaannnation, repair and interchange of the various parts of the coupling can he eiliected without diiiicult'y after the cover a is removed. This oover may he secured to the cap oi: the shaft by means of a slew screwed studs.

ll the coupling rotates 120 revolutions per minute, the detent e in the device hitherto hlllUWl'l had to snap 9A0 times per minute into the recesses, as two recesses e were orcvided thus causing the well lrnown unreleasant whirring noise. lt howeverthe further disadvantage that this constant vi caused premature wear and loosen ing of the parts. This is entirely excluded by the improved coupling because the pawl a "ied by stationary cap when the is out of gear, losing secured the ary position by the pawl it so that must remain out of engagement with the e 6 @onsequently permanent stress the detent spring e is ohviated so that canahle of correspondingly greaterlite.

, applies also to the device.

one:

.ie coinhinatien with a shaft member, uh meniher revoluhly mounted on the clutch element adapted to connect said shaft huh one of said llti the other movahle members may be driven by the other, a detent carried by one of said members and adapted to engage the other member to prevent forward movement of the driven member relatively to the driving member, and a pivoted element operatively connecting the clutch element and detent whereby the detent may be operated simultaneously with the clutch element.

2. The combination with a shaft member, of a hub member revolubly mounted on the same, a rotary key clutch adapted to connect said shaft and hub whereby one of. said members may be driven by the other, said key having a cam surface, a detent carried by one of said members and adapted to engage the other member to prevent forward movement of the driven member relatively to the driving member, and a pivoted element having a portion resting against the cam surface of the rotary key and adapted to engage the detent when the key is rotated to inoperative position, to hold said detent in inoperative position.

3. The combination with a shaft member, of a hub member revolubly mounted thereon, a clutch element adapted to connect said shaft and hub whereby one ofsaid members may be driven by the other, a detent carried by one of said members and adapted to engage the other member to prevent forward movement of the driven member relatively to the driving member, a spring for normally forcing said detent into operative position, and a pawl arranged to be operated by the clutch element for holding said detent in inoperative position.

4. The combination with a shaft member, of a hub member revolubly mounted on the same, a clutch element adapted to connect said shaft and hub whereby one of said members may be driven by the other, a detent carried by one of said members and adapted to engage the other member to prevent forward movement of the driven member relatively to the driving member and a pivoted element operatively connecting the clutch element and detent whereby the detent may be operated simultaneo-usly with the clutch element, said pivoted element being operable independently of the clutch element when desired.

5. A coupling comprising a driven shaft, a driving member embracing said shaft, a rotary key interposed in keyways between said driving member and driven shaft, a cap mounted on the end of said driven shaft, a detent mounted on said cap and adapted to engage recesses on the driving member, an interconnection'between said detent and rotary key, and a removable cover for said cap having journals for said de tent, pawl and key and means for operating'said detent, pawl and key from outside the cover.

FERDINAND JOHN. 

